


Surprises

by MusicPlayer81



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Gen, Multi, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, a miracle, also bumi just ADORES izumi, don't we all, lin actually taking time off for once
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-05
Updated: 2020-10-05
Packaged: 2021-03-08 05:14:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,214
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26846485
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MusicPlayer81/pseuds/MusicPlayer81
Summary: Izumi has been feeling run down as of late. Lin's visit couldn't come at a better time....and with it, she brings a surprising discovery.
Relationships: Bumi II/Izumi (Avatar)
Comments: 5
Kudos: 66





	Surprises

**Author's Note:**

> I absolutely love the idea of Bumi and Izumi being a couple. This is something I've had knocking around my head for a while, so I thought I'd finally write it down and share with everyone. I hope you all enjoy! Please read and review :)

Izumi had not been herself lately.

She had been tired and easily irritated for the past couple months. Then again, what else is to be expected when your husband was away more than he was home and your 14, almost 15 year old son was preparing to go to military school?

Had she mentioned that she’s been tired? Agni knew she could barely keep her eyes open these past few policy meetings. Lin’s visit could not have come at a better time. 

“Is policy work normally this exhausting?” Lin asked, lounging next to her on her heavy four-post bed. She was dressed in, for once, civilian clothes. She had on black chang kben and a black sleeveless bodice. Her gold sabai, a nod to her position as Chief of Police, had been carelessly tossed to the side. “I haven’t seen you this exhausted in...actually, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this exhausted.”

Izumi sipped her spicy chai, a necessary departure from her usual white peony tea. At this rate, the chai was the only thing keeping her awake. 

It was good, seeing Lin. Seeing her this  _ relaxed,  _ really _.  _ This was a side of Lin that rarely made its way to the surface, even for her loved ones. Tenzin hardly saw this side of her and he was her partner. “It can be, but not like this,” she said, shaking her head. “I am at the point of exhaustion every single day. I even fell asleep on my policy reports.  _ My policy reports. _ ”

Lin raised an eyebrow. “Were you reviewing them in bed, at least?”

“I wish I was. I was at my desk in my study.” Izumi set her tea cup on its saucer on the nearby nightstand with a sigh. “Father had to shake me awake. I told him I was fine, but he didn’t believe me.”

“He shouldn’t. Zumi, people don’t get exhausted easily just out of the blue.” Lin tossed her head around. “Maybe you should ask Uncle Zuko permission to be excused from some of your less important duties--”

“Lin, I’m Crown Princess, they’re  _ all  _ important duties--”

“--at least until this passes,” Lin finished. Her expression softened slightly, and she reached out to rub a comforting circle on Izumi’s arm. “Not that I’m one to talk, mind you, but Zumi, you have a lot going on. Bumi’s on the away cycle on a long-term mission, Iroh’s preparing to attend the royal military academy--you need to take time to relax. You can’t run yourself into the ground.” She smirked slightly. “I mean, I literally am taking time off to just be here--no receiving phone calls, no writing reports, nothing. And this is me, the family workhorse. And if _I’m_ saying something about working too much? That’s when you know it’s too much.”

Izumi paused for a moment, subconsciously bringing her hand to her chin as she thought. She and Lin were the same when it came to working, which is to say they were both workaholics. She hated the idea of lightening her workload, especially when there was so much more she could be doing, but at the same time she’d been running herself ragged trying to take her mind off things. Maybe a break wasn’t such a bad idea. “I’ll ask Father permission at dinner tonight.”

Lin smiled, her hands resting on the stone wall behind her as she sat herself up. “Good, maybe you’ll get some—“ she paused for a moment. Was that…? No! 

_ Wait. _

Lin sat up completely straight, mind running. She turned her head slightly to the side. “Zumi, can you do me a favor?”

She blinked quizzically. “Yes, of course. What is it?”

Lin jumped out of bed and threw herself onto her feet. “I need you to get out of bed and stand barefoot on the floor—the part without rugs.”

The Crown Princess furrowed her brow. “Lin, what are you  _ talking _ about?”

“Just humor me, yeah?” Lin extended a hand out to Izumi. She hesitantly took it and walked over to the area Lin indicated--a small patch of bare stone that hadn’t been covered by one of her many plush rugs. The metalbender stomped her foot, sending out a seismic wave as she began reading the ground. She could see everything, not just Izumi’s room, but her entire personal wing, the furniture, the three people nearby--

Three? 

Lin sent out another wave to be certain. Sure enough, there was her heartbeat, Zumi’s heartbeat, and right by Zumi--

Oh.  _ OH. _

Lin opened her eyes and shook herself off. “Oma and Shu, Zumi.”

Panic bled into her heart. If Lin was shocked...then she was screwed, wasn’t she? “What? Lin, what is it? Is it bad? You can tell me if it is, I’d rather hear it from you--”

“It’s not bad. It’s not bad at all, Zumi.” A small smile graced her lips. “I think congratulations are in order for you. You’re pregnant.”

Izumi swore she could feel her heart stop. “I beg your pardon?”

“You’re pregnant. With a child,” Lin replied. Spirits, poor Izumi. She looked  _ terrified.  _ “A human one, unless the Royal Family can give birth to dragons—“

_This can’t be possible,_ Izumi thought. Though clearly it was, because the timing lined up and now here she was, standing in front of Lin, pregnant enough for her to find a heartbeat. “Are you sure? I mean, I’m almost 40 years old. Aren’t I a little old for this?”

The metalbender shrugged, her scars on full display. “You’re not much older than when my mother had Suyin.”

Izumi winced. Suyin wasn’t exactly a stellar example of a younger sibling. Neither was her aunt, for that matter. She stood for a moment, just thinking.

If there were ever a time she needed a drink, it was now. 

Lin turned her head gently to the side. “Zumi? Zumi, are you okay?”

“I’m fine, I’m just thinking about...second children,” she got out. “My family doesn’t have the best of records when it comes to the second born.”

“Your Uncle Tom-Tom turned out fine, and he’s the second child. He’s also far younger than your mother too.” Lin looked up, mentally calculating. “Same age difference between your mom and him as there would be between Iroh and this child, actually.”

Izumi looked pointedly at Lin. “You know what I mean.”

Lin sighed and sat down on the bed, motioning for Izumi to follow suit. “Your great-great-grandfather was a power-hungry asshole, which in turn warped your entire family tree down to your grandfather, and  _ he  _ was a bitter, insecure abuser who decided to focus all his energy on your aunt.” Lin took her friend’s hand. “There was no way it wouldn’t end in tragedy.”

“Language, Lin,” Zumi said tiredly.

“You know I’m right, Zumi.”

“Yeah, I know.” She released her friend’s hand and swiped away some tears that were threatening to overflow. “I just--I just worry.”

Lin made a comforting noise in the back of her neck and pulled her into a hug. “Zumi, you’re nothing like them. Nothing.” Lin gently patted her back. “You’ll be a great mom. Spirits, you already  _ are _ a great mom. Look at how well Iroh’s turned out. That’s in no small part thanks to you.”

Ah yes, Prince Iroh, the apple of her eye. He was reserved yet charismatic, able to charm anyone he met. A damned good firebender as well, able to keep up with both his grandfathers--even the one that happened to be the Avatar. And if his pai sho game was any indication, he was already a brilliant strategist. He would make a phenomenal leader when the time came, of that she had no doubt.

“He’s a good boy, my Iroh, and it’s my greatest hope that he’ll grow up to become a good man,” Izumi said softly, retreating from Lin’s hug. “I can’t believe it. He’s almost 15 years old, and just as he’s getting older we have this new addition. I hope--I hope he’ll take the news of a younger sibling well.”

“You’re kidding, right? Iroh would be  _ thrilled.  _ Don’t you remember? He jumped at the chance to teach a beginning firebending class at his school, and now he’s in charge of all the five year olds!”

Izumi chuckled. “How can I forget? There’s ten little kids running around the training courtyard every Saturday morning! Good thing we took all the landscaping out and replaced it with sand, otherwise all the plants would have been set on fire.” She allowed herself a small smile, her hand hesitantly drawing to her stomach. Maybe it was hyperawareness, but she swore she could feel the smallest beginnings of a bump. 

“What are you thinking about?”   
  
“How cute it would be if Iroh would teach the baby firebending--if they’re a bender, of course. He’d probably be away at officer school at that point, but...it’d be...it’d be really nice.”

“Yeah, it would be.” Lin nudged her shoulder. “And besides, you know Iroh is going to spoil that baby  _ rotten. _ ”

“He really would.” She could already picture it: Iroh with his baby sibling, playing in the gardens as she and Bumi watched from afar.

Bumi….spirits, how would he take this? They hadn't been planning on another child, and he was in the prime of his career. The smile slipped from her face, and she let her hand fall.

“Zumi?” Lin asked softly. 

“What about Bumi?” Izumi asked worriedly.

Lin knit her brows together. “What do you mean, ‘what about Bumi?’”

“Do you think he’d—“ Izumi sighed. “Do you think he’d want this baby?”

“You mean the man who cried from joy when you told him you were pregnant with Iroh, and then cried again when he announced it to everyone else during family dinner on Air Temple Island?” Lin raised an eyebrow, but then let it fall immediately, leaning closer to Izumi. “He’d be ecstatic. As it is, that man would walk to the end of the world and back if you asked him to. You tell him about this new baby, he’d walk to the Spirit World too.”

Zumi couldn’t help her smile. “He really loves me, doesn’t he?”

“With every fiber of his being.”

“Crown Princess?”

Izumi looked over to find her personal helper standing in the doorway. “Kazashi, what brings you here?”

“You have a visitor waiting for you in the hall, Your Highness.”

Izumi sighed and stood up. The work of a royal was never finished. She turned around to face Lin. “I’ll see you later for dinner?”

“Wouldn’t dream of missing it.”

Izumi smiled, and left. She saw the visitor from afar, his United Forces military uniform an exclamation point amongst the hanging tapestries. Walking faster, she saw the man’s tall stature, strong jaw, muscular build. Hearing her approach, the man turned, his grey eyes registering delight. 

“Crown Princess Izumi.” He bowed, kissing her hand, and suddenly they were 23 and it was the royal ball and he was courting her, both their hands shaking from nerves. He was even wearing the same uniform, albeit far more decorated nowadays. 

Her breath caught in her chest. Damn, how she loved that man still. 

“General Bumi.” She gently retracted her hand only to cup his jaw and forcefully kiss him instead. After a few moments they pulled away, breathless. “Must you be so formal with your wife?”

Bumi smiled that same languid smile that set off butterflies in her stomach. “I have to give her the respect she deserves, don’t you think?”

She threw her head back and laughed. “Oh you are incorrigible, aren’t you?”

“Like you’d have it any other way, my love!”

She wouldn’t, never never never. She kissed him on the cheek and he offered an arm. “Care to accompany me on a walk through the gardens, my lady?”

She wrapped her arm around his. “Lead the way, sweetheart.”

The gardens were beautiful, even at the beginning of spring. They had been her father’s favorite place as a child, and once he assumed the throne one of his first acts as Fire Lord was to reinvigorate the gardens that had fallen into complete disarray. What had once been a space overrun with weeds was now a lush oasis inside the palace. Large lacebark elms provided shade, as did red maples. Flowers of all kinds grew everywhere, in trimmed plots, in pots, on trellises. So many of her favorite memories were among the trees and flowering vines. 

So many of her favorite memories were with him. 

“I wasn’t expecting you back so soon,” she hummed, her head against his shoulder. “What brings you back so quickly?”

“Made significant headway on my mission due to intercepting some communications. Next thing you know, we’re executing strategies and closing everything up.” He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. He never gave her specifics--it was on a to-know basis, and she respected that she wasn’t included. Likewise, most of her work also ran on a to-know basis, and it didn’t include him either. It was all for the better really--they could actually enjoy each other, and not get stuck on shop talk.

“Well, I am very proud of you,” she said, a smile on her face. “If anyone could finish up a three year mission two years early, it would be my husband.”

Bumi blushed deeply. “It was pure luck, really. We just happened to be in the right place at the right time and have the right radio channel open, and they just happened to be communicating on an open line.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I actually, um, earned a medal for my role in the mission’s successful strategy.”

Izumi stopped walking and jokingly put her hands on her hips. “Bumi. Or should I say,  _ General  _ Bumi. We’ve been walking together for how long and you’re barely telling me you won another commendation  _ now?” _

“Yes,  _ Crown Princess Izumi,  _ I am barely telling you now. Sheesh, let me enjoy some time with you before I launch into details.” He smiled, and kissed Zumi’s cheek. She jokingly rolled her eyes but didn’t hide the smile on her face either. “There’s a pinning ceremony on our ship tomorrow. It’s docked in the bay so you don’t have to travel far. Would you be able to--?”

“Bumi, it’d be my honor to pin you.”

The man grinned mischievously and comically wiggled his eyebrows. “Oh, would it now? And just  _ where  _ would you like to pin me?”

Izumi groaned as her husband cackled. “Why are you like this? Why are you  _ like  _ this?”

“What can I say? I saw the chance and I took it.” 

Izumi shook her head, though her lips were quirked upwards.  She could, in fact, think of quite a few places. There were the usual deserted hallways, their own private wing, even a couple new places she had discovered in the basements….good grief. No wonder she was pregnant.

She took his outstretched arm and they continued their walk around the gardens. He watched his wife, his brilliant, beautiful wife, her black hair and bun circlet shining in the sunlight. “I missed you so much,” he said softly, pulling her close.

“I missed you too,” she sighed, leaning into him. “I have my meetings, of course, to keep me busy, but they’re so dreadfully quiet and long.”

“Are you sure you don’t have too many?” Bumi hedged.

She lifted her head from his shoulder to look at her husband. Where was this coming from? “What do you mean?”

“I ran into your father when I first left the ship--”

Izumi groaned.

“He told me you’ve been running ragged these past couple of months.”

“It’s nothing--”

“Sweetheart, being so tired you’re falling asleep at your desk is not nothing,” he said worriedly. 

“He  _ had  _ to tell you about that,” she muttered.

“I’m glad he did, considering there was no mention of anything in our daily wires.” He paused under an anise magnolia and gently took both her hands in his. “I know, Izumi, that there are parts of our lives that we have to keep from each other. But your health and wellbeing is not one of them.”

“I would have included it if it was something to be concerned about,” she said softly, looking away.

“You are my  _ wife,  _ Z umi. You are always going to be my top concern.  _ Always, _ ” he said, releasing her hands and gently cupping her face. With the pad of his thumb he brushed away a stray tear from her cheek, pulling her into his arms. He stood there for a moment, rocking her back and forth. “I love you so much. You know that, right?”

Her heart panged in her chest. Bumi was everything to her--did he not see that? Did she not show him enough? “Of course I do! Of course of course of course,” she said, sinking further into his hug. “I love you so much sweetheart. So, so much.”

Bumi pressed a kiss to her forehead, careful not to touch her hair. He briefly caressed her face before gesturing for Izumi to sit with him in the shade. She sat next to him, his arm automatically falling over her shoulder and stroking her arm. She leaned in closer with a satisfied hum, her fingers absentmindedly playing with the medals on his chest. A breeze gently ruffled the leaves above their heads. This was their space, for them to just  _ be.  _

If there was ever a time to tell him, this was it.

“Sweetheart,” she murmured, drawing his hand to her stomach. “I’m pregnant.”

Bumi paused for a moment, looking down at his hand as the news sank in. His smile grew wider and wider, and when he looked up he had tears in his eyes. “You are?”

Izumi nodded, a small smile on her lips.

He immediately pulled her into his lap, his arms wrapped around her. She looped her arms around his neck as he peppered kisses to her face and neck. She caught his lips and deepened their kiss, only pulling apart to breathe. “And we wonder how I’m pregnant,” she panted, her lips turning upward.

“I don’t think it’s ever been a mystery!” Bumi laughed, moving to rest his hand once more against her stomach. He watched it in awe, the largest smile on his face. “Can we start planning the nursery? Now for a girl’s nursery--”

“I think we’re going to have to wait until the time comes, sweetheart, to figure out if the baby’s a girl or not,” Izumi noted, an undercurrent of mirth in her voice, her grin as wide as his. 

“I know, I know,” he said, his smile growing even wider. “But Zumi, I just have this feeling, it’s going to be a girl, a girl as brilliant and beautiful as you! Anyways, I was thinking maybe we do more flames this time and less dragons, or maybe more dragons because she’s the fiercest of us all, or—“ Bumi stopped, tears welling in his eyes once more. “I love you so, so much.”

Tears welled in her eyes. "Oh sweetheart," she said, kissing him. She rested her forehead against his. "I love you too.”


End file.
